Thank you to Alastair Berry, Vancouver Island, British Columbia, for
the following recollections:

Royston foreshore

"Along the Royston
foreshore, I remember:

- the concrete base of a gun
emplacement

-great piles of anchor chains from the boats that were 'broken' on
the shore of the West basin

- a lemonade factory, Trussels, on the sea side of the road/rail
tracks

- and just opposite was what, in my
memory, looked like a small blast furnace (or kiln) made of
IRON not brick

-and a bit further on was the bottomless pit and Pennywell lane."

Alastair Berry, Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada.

Recollections

2.

Hugh Hainey

Loanhead, Midlothian, Scotland

Thank you to Hugh Hainey for
the following recollections of his childhood in Royston
in the 1940s.

Hugh wrote:

Royston Mains Avenue

"I was brought up at 2 Royston Mains Ave and
for some of the war years with my Grandparents in Leith we were a very
close tied community.

Most of our parents were ex Leithers who had been moved from the slums of
Leith. For the first time they had a house with a bath and toilet "

Houses, Streets, Back-greens

"Things were really strict. Stairs
and windows had to be cleaned every week. There was set days
for washing to be hung out. You were not allowed to play
football in the streets nor were you allowed in the back-green
except to go to the Air Raid Shelters.

We had great fun in the shelters after
the war. If a neighbour caught you doing anything wrong you would
get an instant clip on the ear."

Hugh Hainey, Loanhead, Midlothian,
Scotland: March 2005

Recollections

3.

James Polson

Dunbar, East Lothian, Scotland

Thank you to James Polson
for these recollections of his childhood in
Royston in the 1940s.

James, went on to
travel the world extensively with the military and now lives in Dunbar,
East Lothian, Scotland.

Royston Mains Road

"We lived in 5 Royston Mains Road, bottom left,
in the late 40's early 50's.

My
Father was a Whalerman for Salvesens and when he came home after an
"Overwinter" we had great fun along with other families that lived in the
road - Moirs, Hands, Hyslop, Hughes.

That
was in the days when it was a close knit community. I do recall the
fun we used to have as children putting 4 or 5 "Bangers" in the dustbins
around Halloween, and watching the lids fly off when they exploded.
Great fun!"

I am trying to find an old map showing the
'old' New Broughton district. It was a slum
clearance area around 1935 or thereabouts.

We moved from to 28 Royston Mains Rd around 1935 after my wee sister was
born.

In 1941, we moved to to St Vincent Street Stockbridge. I left there
in 1952 to marry my Fiancé who had already gone to Sydney Australia where
we now live"

Royston Mains Road

We moved from to 28 Royston Mains Rd around 1935 after my wee sister was
born.

In 1941, we moved to to St Vincent Street Stockbridge. I left there
in 1952 to marry my Fiancé who had already gone to Sydney Australia where
we now live"

Old Map

"I am still trying to find an old map showing
the Royston district. It is now all up market and very pretty.
I remember so well, the 'back greens in Royston.

1925 Map

Here is a
1925 map showing the area shortly before the houses in the Royston
estate were built. Some, but not all of the Boswall estate had
already been built. This map shows only one house in the area,
Royston Mains, towards the top right corner of the map.

- Peter Stubbs: April 2006

Anderson Shelters

"During the war there would be variety
entertainment put on to raise funds. The Anderson Shelters varied in
comfort (and discomfort). Although I must say my dad built ours with a
wooden floor, double bunk and single bunk beds.

There
was a sump in the corner where the water drained and the door was doubled
with a metal cover."

Houses

"I think everyone was so pleased to have a
clean, bright, new house, even though my brothers had a pull-down bed in
the 'lounge' and sisters all squeezed in together."

The War

"With
the war on, the men were away to the army and only came home on leave.
The newspapers were scoured daily to see the 'missing in action' columns.

The
woman upstairs lost two sons in the sinking of the 'HOOD' - then there was
the bomb that landed nearby and we thought it had hit the school but it
flattened five houses in one street killing a woman and her two children
... and her husband was away at the war!"

Thank you to Peter Shedden
who wrote the following after reading Betty Fraser's comments above:

Home and School

"I was moved to Royston in 1936, and lived at
Royston Mains Gardens.
That was at the same period as Betty Fraser quotes.

I was at the school in Granton Square on a
temporary basis, until being sent to Granton School until the Royston
School was ready for me and others. So
it is a jolt to the memory to read all the comments."

Milk Deliveries

"I did a milk delivery round for Leith
Provident Co-op in West Granton Road. I started every morning with a
bike which had a basket on front and did all the far points of delivery:-
Gypsy Brae, the Reservoir which
was situated at the site which is now east Pilton,
Caroline Park and West Harbour etc.

The reservoir has recently been converted to a small nature
reserve, part of with a viewing platform for observing wildlife, as
part of Forthquarter Park, a new park created as part of Edinburgh's
Waterfront development, not yet open to the public.
- Peter Stubbs

After that, I had a two-wheeled barrow, where
I loaded the crates of bottles of milk and rolls to deliver at West
Granton Road, along to the Wire Works, down to Granton square, the bank
and Harbour Master's house.

I continued along lower Granton Road, and up
the Granton Medway etc. etc.

I remember the manager, Mr Black, and the
Manageress at the bakery dept., Fay. I was well looked after by
both."

Pie Deliveries

"On a Saturday, with no school, I did a 'Pie
Round'. The barrow that I used for the milk was loaded up with
bakers' boards of Scotch Pies, and off I went delivering orders.

I can remember so many names of families that
had the pies for Saturday lunches around Royston, and of the mothers who
looked out for me coming.

In those days, I was up early in the morning
as you can guess, and had the deliveries done before going to school.
I did the same, even after going to Bellevue Secondary School, to which I
had to cycle."

School Mates

"I
wonder if she will remember me and some of our school mates. I
went to the navy at an early age, and so I missed out on some of my
youth, but I remember much about the area and life there so maybe I
can answer some questions.

"I have a strong feeling
that I worked with Alastair Berry (Recollections 1 above) at the store in
West Granton Road, delivering milk and rolls."

The Embassy

"Also, as a very young
boy, I used to be allowed to visit the Embassy projection room, and used
to get old film from the projectionist. We used it to make
smoke bombs. He had a club foot which we had never seen before.
He was a very nice person.

Memories

"I am 66 years old,
but how fortunate I am to have had such happy memories."

Bob Grant, Queensferry, Edinburgh:
October 27, 2008

Recollections

9.

Bob Henderson

Burdiehouse, Edinburgh

Thank you to Bob Henderson, Burdiehouse, Edinburgh who wrote:

Boys Burning old Film

"Bob Grant (Recollections 8) has just
stirred another memory for me.

All
of us boys at the time knew of the wonderful
ability of the old film stock to give off a terrible smell when lit.
It was a highly prized commodity."

Bob Henderson, Burdiehouse, Edinburgh:
October 28, 2008

Recollections

10.

Vic

Thank you to Vic who wrote:

The Currie Family

"I am wondering if anyone remembers the
Currie kids who went to Royston Mains school. All of this is coming out
of my head because my mother, Lilian Currie, who was born in 1929 in
Primrose Street, Leith, Edinburgh used to talk
of going to school and doing handstands against the wall, showing her
underclothes, and being reprimanded by the headmaster.

She had six brothers and sisters.
Her mother, Victoria Currie, died very young at home during
wartime. The brothers and sisters were Anne,
John, Iris, Robinson, (my mom) Lilian, Victor and Marina

In one of the photos you show Elizabeth
Fraser, now living in Australia, the tiniest
little girl reminds me a lot of my mom. Could it be? "

Vic: November15, 2008

Recollections

11.

Brian Swanney

Dunedin, Otago, New Zealand

Brian Swanney was brought up in 16 Crewe Crescent from 1952 until 1977,
and now lives in New Zealand.

Brian wrote:

Artificial Sunlight Health
Clinic

"Does
anyone have memories or information on the ‘artificial sunlight’
health clinic that once operated in an extension room on the ground
floor of the housing on the NE corner of the intersection of Royston
Mains Road and Royston Mains Crescent ( -
at least I’m fairly sure it was that corner)?

I assume it was a community health
initiative run by the health service. It
certainly wasn’t a commercial tanning shop, or a forerunner
of that, just a clinic of some sort operating from premises attached
to the normal housing of the Royston district."

I have very vague memories of being taken
there for sessions when a very young boy, possibly 4 or 5, so maybe
1956/57 – but I remember the grey painted weatherboard bulge still
being there in later years as we walked down to West
Granton Road to catch buses into Leith.

I seem to remember the little dark goggles the
kids were given to wear and the faint smell of ozone from the UV
lamps and NHS folding screens etc.

I can't
remember anything about how the clinic
operated but I guess the group all just played in a small area
and bathed in the lights for a set
treatment time."

Orange Juice

"I remember parents bought a type of
concentrated orange juice, but not from that
clinic. We also got dosed up on that, so I assume it
was all a big drive to get vitamin levels up and probably increase
our vitamin D to offset any chance of rickets in the growing
youngsters."

UV Risk

"In light of
all the warnings today of excessive UV exposure when young, I wonder
what the risk / benefit balance was?

I guess the atmosphere of the time was
rather grey and sometimes full of dust and smoke particles filtering
out our natural sunlight, and the extra
top up doses of man-made UV would help compensate."

Question

"I’ve
looked online to try to
find out more information about the Artificial Sunlight Health
Clinic, but not looked hard enough or in the right places to
find any documents or brochures that might relate to it.

Can anybody tell me any
more about them? How widespread were these
clinics around Edinburgh and elsewhere?"

Brian Swanney, Dunedin, Otago,
New Zealand: February 9, 2010

Reply to Brian?

If you'd
like to send a reply to Brian,
please email me, then I'll pass on your message to him.

Thank you. - Peter
Stubbs: March 4, 2010

Recollections

11.

Reply

1.

Christine Anderson
(née Keith)

Duddingston,
Edinburgh

Brian:

Update 1

By coincidence, I
have received another email about sun ray
treatment. It reached me the day
after your message. It came from
Christine Anderson who still
lives in Edinburgh. I've just added
her comments to the web site. Please click
on this link to read her comments:

"Brian
was right about the baby health centre on the corner ofRoyston Mains Crescent. That that
was the one I talked about in the
Granton Recollectionswhen I
mentioned theorange juice and cod liver
oil. I did not know about the artificial
sunlighthealth clinics."

By coincidence, I
have received another email about sun ray
treatment. It reached me the day
after your message. It came from
Christine Anderson who still
lives in Edinburgh. I've just added
her comments to the web site. Please click
on this link to read her comments:

"Brian
was right about the baby health centre on the corner ofRoyston Mains Crescent. That that
was the one I talked about in the
Granton Recollectionswhen I
mentioned theorange juice and cod liver
oil. I did not know about the artificial
sunlighthealth clinics."

"I was enrolled at
the Children's Nursery at
Pilton Drive in 1943.We were taken by one of the nurserynurses for our treatment on Friday afternoons to
a groundfloor flat which was the Royston
Welfare Clinic.

I remember it well.
I think it was on the corner of Royston Mains Road.
The room that we had the treatment in had
this strange smell. We stood in our
knickers, with goggles on,
and were given Sunray Treatment, 10 minutes on
your front and 10 minutes on your
back.

It was a wonderful nursery
and we were well looked after. I hope this
will jog someone's memory."

Mary Nyberg, Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia: February
22, 2011

Recollections

11.

Reply

4.

Lizzie Stenhouse

Thank you to Lizzie Stenhouse who wrote:

Royston Clinic

"Unfortunately I do not remember the
artificial sunlight clinic, but I doremember
going the clinic itself for my polio sugar lump.

I can pictureit
quite clearly, it was across the road from us. We
lived in No. 12 RoystonMains Road. Our family name
was Stenhouse.

My brother Norman, sister
Jeanette and I attended
Royston School and AinsliePark
School."

Lizzie Stenhouse: February 17,
2012

Recollections

11.

Reply

5.

Carole Manson

Thank you to Carole Manson who wrote:

Royston Crescent Clinic

"I remember that health place in
Royston Mains Crescent.

I used to go there with my sis,
Marilyn, to pick up concentrated orange
juice and, I think, cod liver oil,
mostly for her and my brother,
Tommy. I also had another sis,
was Margaret(Peggy)."

Our Family

"We all went to
Royston School.

My mother was in the
community club for years.

I lived
In Royston Mains Street up to 1958, when I
married Norrie Mills who lived in West Granton Road.

I'm sure
someone will recognize us. Thanks for the
memories."

Carole Manson: January 23, 2014

Recollections

11.

Reply

6.

Lizzie Stenhouse

Thank you to Lizzie Stenhouse who wrote:

Royston Clinic

"I used to live in
Royston Mains Road. I don't remember the artificial sunlight
clinics, but I do know that we went to that clinic for polio sugar lumps.

It was on the corner of
Royston Mains Road and Royston Mains Crescent."

Lizzie Stenhouse: July 21, 2014

Recollections

12.

Sandra Smith (née
Denholm)

Sydney, New South Wales,
Australia

Sandra wrote:

Question

John Connolly

"I am seeking information about John
Connolly of 32 Royston Mains Crescent, Edinburgh. I understand he lived there about 1952.

If you'd
like to send a reply to Lorraine,
please email me then I'll pass your message on to
her.

Thank you.

Peter Stubbs, Edinburgh: September
1,
2010

Reply

to Recollections

14.

Archie Foley

Joppa, Edinburgh

Thank you
to Archie Foley who replied:

Reply

149th Scout Troop

"The 149th
Scout Troop met in St David's Episcopal Church at the west end of Boswall
Parkway. I was a member
for two or three years, just post-1945.
I'm guessing that William Dutton was a senior member at that time.

I remember two brothers named McMahon,
one of whom was older than me and could have been a Patrol Leader. His
first name might have been Douglas. One
year we went to summer camp near Dundee, but we
often went for weekend camps to the Pinkie Estate
in Musselburgh. Alfred Sefton, our Scout
Master, also ran a troop that met in the stables
there."

Alfred Sefton

"Alfred Sefton was a
fine organist and played, for many years,
at St Mark's Episcopal Church in Portobello as well as in Musselburgh. He died in 1987, aged 79.

His son Alfred also became an organist but
died some years ago. I think another son is still alive as is his
daughter, Hilda Mary. She lives in Norway
but I have no information about her brother."

Archie Foley, Joppa, Edinburgh:
November 30, 2010

Recollections

15.

John Dickson

Silverknowes,
Edinburgh

Thank you
to John Dickson (a Royston boy) who wrote:

Question

Eagle Gates

"I hear a lot of Grantonians talk about the
Eagle Gates that stood on
Muirhouse Parkway

In
Warrender's book 'Walks near Edinburgh,
1890' she said the gate-pillars were
surmounted by griffins.

Does anyone have more information on how they
looked, or even a photograph."

John Dickson, Silverknowes, Edinburgh: August 29, 2010

Reply to John

If you'd
like to send a reply to Lorraine,
please email me then I'll pass your message on to
her.

Thank you.

Peter Stubbs, Edinburgh: September
1,
2010

Reply

to Recollections

15.

Bob Rodger

Thunder Bay, NW
Ontario, Canada

Thank you
to Bob Rodger who replied to John Dickson's comments above.

Bob's last
address in Edinburgh was 19 West Granton Road. Bob lived in Scotland
until 1960. He is now helping to
build a gold mine at Red Lake,
N W Ontario, Canada.

Bob wrote:

Reply

Eagle Gates

"I remember the Eagle Gates well.They were at the top end of West Granton Road,
at the entrance to the large house,still
there I think, which overlooks the camp grounds to the north of
Salvesen Gardens.

As a young guy in the late 1940s,
I got on the bus at the Eagle Gates going to Royston school.
I don't have any photos of the gates, but
the pillars were impressive, 10ft high,
and then the griffins looking east.

The gates were
knocked down around 1960, after I had left
West Pilton.

Bob Rodger, Thunder Bay, NW Ontario,
Canada: September 10, 2010

Recollections

16.

William Dutton

Colinton, Edinburgh

Thank you to Lorraine Bruce for sending me the story
of her father's life, written by her father,
William Dutton. William lived at Caroline Park from around 1930, then at
Royston.

- I spent the next
nine and a half years in the A B Fleming houses at Caroline Park, West
Shore, Granton.

- I then moved to 40
Royston Mains Crescent."

The District

"I
can remember as far back as 1934. Caroline Park was a row of
terraced houses. There were 12 families in all. The next five
years that I spent there were the happiest days of my life.

It was a boys' paradise:

- The beach was about
200 yards away.

- The railway line
was 100 yards away.

- There were large
fields with plenty of ponies."

Family

"I
remember my sisters being born. Chris, the fourth child in the family was
born at home, at Caroline Park. The house was very small, just one
living room and one bedroom, gas-lit with a stove and a cooker"

Ponies

"There were ponies
in the field. They
were all being shipped to France for slaughter. Had I known this at
the time, I don't think I could have coped with it.

The man who owned the
ponies was called Cuddy Bain. His ponies were my first pets, really.
Until I was older, I thought all ponies were called 'Brownie' or
'Blackie'.

I would walk up through
them on my way to school, with no fear of them. I spent two years
trying to find a way to get on their backs.

I would build bricks up,
only to have them topple over at the crucial moment! Eventually, I
was able to get up onto a dyke. I waited until one of the ponies
came alongside then just stepped on and over. For a long time, it was
my greatest achievement!"

Beachcombing

"I
spent a lot of time on the beach, beachcombing being a great pastime.
Once, I tied a piece of wood to each of my feet, thinking that I would
float like the wooden ships. I nearly drowned and caused quite a
commotion.

I lost interest in the
water after that. It had let me down badly, or so Ifelt!"

'Little Texas'

"There
was a rail line in front of the shore, with sidings, one of which was
covered with trees. For years, this was known as 'Little Texas', and
is still fondly remembered as such, even now.

We had great fun playing
'Cowboys and Indians', the only problem being that it was next to a sewage
works. The building is still standing but no longer in use.

The combined smell from the
sewage works, the tar felt company and the gas works was just too much for
us at times. But, in all, it was a boys' paradise."

Dangers

"With the railway sidings,
lorries passing, the sea and quarry ponds filled to the brim, mothers were
in a constant state of panic as all these places were within a
quarter-mile of each other.

I think that for the first
five years of my life, I was always being told 'not to do that' and
'not to go there', an impossible thing to tell wee boys with so much to
excite all around.

One of the quarry ponds was
full of hot water. Many children lost their lives there, but they
were never local children, funnily enough.

About a hundred yards from
our house, on the shore, there were two concrete boats on which I played.
I must have travelled half way round the world on these things. I
could never understand why people could be so stupid as to try to market
these boats when even wee boys like us knew that concrete and stones sunk
in water."

"Just round from these
boats, there were two concrete slabs, about 15 ft long, 6 ft high
and 3 ft wide. All the boys used to place bottles on these and throw
stones to see who could hit the most.

The bottles came from
Trussels Lemonade Factory, about 20 yards from the shore. We used to
pinch the bottles from the backs of their lorries. We were always
trying to pinch full ones but I don't remember ever having much success.

Trussels was housed in an
old dilapidated building that was rat-infested. The firm was ordered
to make fish cakes during the war, to help the war effort. You could
smell the rotten fish for miles. The place stank for about two years
after production stopped, which was quite soon as they realised that the
fish cakes were doing more harm than the Germans!"

Granny Smith's Shop

"About 30 yards from
Trussels factory, there was a shop in a hut. This was Granny
Smith's. All I remember being on sale there was sweets. Of
course, she must have sold other things, but I was not interested in
those.

Next to the shop, on the
other side of an embankment, was the field where the horses were. We
used to slide down the embankment on pieces of lino. This would rip
and tear our clothes. We would get Hell from our mother as clothes
were hard to come by.

Tar Felt Company

"Beyond the embankment was
the tar felt company. We used to get remnants
of the felt, melt it down, dip our arrows in it and light it -
just like the Red Indians in the movies.

Once, I got burnt on my
face. This was very painful as the tar hardened quickly. I had
a hard time explaining it to my mother."

Promenade

"I
can remember, in 1935, when they started to build the promenade from
Caroline Park to Cramond. There were lorries full of ashes for the
foundations - tons and tons of ashes. The promenade
opened up a new walk along the shore for us.

It was closed down during
the war, however, as soldiers were billeted there."

Disappearance

"I once caused a real panic
when I disappeared. I am told that they were
just about to start a search when I was found.

I was missing for ages, the
reason being that I was (and still am) very fond of Nestle's Condensed
Milk. I had found an open tin in the cupboard. Deciding that I
could not miss such an opportunity, I nicked it.

I took it into the largest
cupboard in the house, scoffed the lot and fell asleep. I was found
some time later, fast asleep with the tin and spoon in my hand and face
covered in Nestle's milk."

'The Green Lady' was said
to be the ghost of the daughter of the Duke of Buccleuch. The
Caroline Park house
always seemed to be a ghostly place to me, and I always used to wish I had
a dozen pairs of eyes when I went past it so that I could look in all
directions. I really was scared.

A man once told me that
ghosts were disappointed if they didn't frighten you. Well, I never
disappointed 'The Green Lady'."

'The White Warden'

"My other ghost was 'The
White Warden', a more acceptable ghoul. I was quite convinced that
he was only out to get milk delivery boys. I must have imagined that
I saw him thousands of times!

Then, when I changed to
delivering papers, it was only to hear that there were men who took
paper boys' money. My hair was permanently on end!"

"I was nine years old when the war
started. I couldn't understand what all the fuss was about. We
were all fitted with gas masks at school, and were shown how to build
Anderson shelters."

Anderson Shelters

"The Anderson shelters were
meant to be built by ourselves, one shelter for two families.
The shelters were cold and damp, and smelled of cats.

Getting out of bed in the
middle of the night to go to the shelter was Hellish. I seem to
remember that we did this for every air raid warning that went off at the
beginning of the war.

This happened about once or
twice a week. After about a year, Dad decided that we shouldn't
bother any more. He said, 'If we get hit by a bomb, we'll all go
together'."'

Shops

"As for myself, the war
changed many things. Shops were miserably dull with no displays in
the windows. The shop windows, bus windows and tram windows were
all netted-up to prevent shattering.

The queues in the shops
were a nightmare. I can remember waiting up to two hours for
messages:

- Fruit came in only about twice a year,
oranges and apples being a luxury.

- There were no
biscuits or sweets, jam or preserves

- Bread was a
brownish colour.

- There was no soap
powder, only 'supply soap' which was hard and latherless.

- The only
disinfectant available was weak bleach, and later Parazone, or if you were
lucky, Carbolic or Lysol.

- Cloth was rationed.
Coupons were easily sold if you had no money to use them. There was
a lot of black market stuff about, but we never had any money to deal in
it.

- However, we did get
vitamins: orange juice, cod liver oil, malt extract and Ovaltine
tablets and dried milk were all available, free. As a result of all
these supplements, rickets almost disappeared during the war and young
people grew taller than they might have done."

Bombings

"I was a quarter of a
mile away from the bomb that killed two children as they were having a
bath in their house near Boswall Parkway. Later on, I came to know
their mother through the church. I joined the church after these
events. I reckoned it was a good time to make peace with my maker,
in case I got an early call!

I was down at the beach
when the Germans tried to bomb the Forth Rail Bridge. We kids
thought it was our own planes practising. It was great fun until our
mothers came running up to get us. There was great panic and my
mother was ill for a long time, convinced that her boys were dead.
It was then that she decided to send Tom and me to Newtongrange. We
were there for a year."

Evacuations

"I remember playing with
friends one day and going to get them the next, only to find them not at
home. I was told they would not be back for a long time. They
had been evacuated to Canada and Australia. This was done amidst
great secrecy as people were so scared of spies."

Soldiers
and Prisoners

"In Edinburgh, I remember
finding the war pretty exciting. There were plenty of soldiers about
and big lorries with my initials on them - WD for War Department.

I remember
seeing Prisoners of War. It amazed me to see that they looked just
like the rest of us. They were made to wear a diamond shape on their
clothes, and worked on the farms. Apart from that, they went about
quite openly though they were not allowed to mix with us."

Rackets

"There were plenty of
rackets going on. One in particular was backgreen
concerts. 'Money for Spitfires' or so they said. The people
thought it was for a good cause, but the organisers were quite crooked!"

Deaths

"The sad side of this was,
of course, the loss of life. Amongst our neighbours there were three
dead and two Prisoners of War, and that was about average from street to
street.

It was sad to see the
collection of money for headstones for neighbours who had lost sons and
fathers. When the money was collected and stone bought, it would be
displayed in the front garden of the family's house. This was the
family's way of saying thanks to the contributors.

It was such a sad thing to
see. You couldn't get away from the war, even when you played in the
streets."

'VE Day'

"One of the highlights of
my teenage years was 'VE Day'. There was such celebrations.
Street parties were being held in every street."

"I never came to grips with
leaving Caroline Park. Life was never the same for me again;
childhood ended when I was nine years old.

We moved to Royston, and it
was here that I saw people drinking and women smoking. I could not
help staring at them and this got me into trouble.

I became aware that people
were mortal. Young people were dying of diphtheria and TB. It
became easier not to allow myself to become fond of people for fear of
losing them."

The Fumigating Van

"I remember, at this time,
hating the fumigating van. It came to your house if there were any
infectious diseases there. This could have meant the dreaded scarlet
fever or diphtheria.

I would run away as soon as
I saw the van, often as far as three miles. I was so scared.
The van represented illness, hospital and death. Well, they were not
going to catch me. Someone used to come and get me, assuring me all
the while that it was quite safe to return home.

My sister was very ill and
almost died of diphtheria. I think I must have run away so often
that I simply was not at home enough to get contaminated. That was
certainly the general idea."

School

"I remember that for
play-pieces, we took syrup, no margarine. The syrup would turn to a
toffee-like consistency and was most enjoyable.

I cannot remember ever
having biscuits, crisps, cakes or even sweets in all the years that I was
at school. They were hard times.

I never had pocket money
until I started bringing money into the house myself. Even when I
was breaking and selling sticks, the money would all go back into the
household."

EarningMoney

"I started to earn money
when I was eleven years old. I chopped wooden boxes for
firewood and sold it for 3d a carrier bag.

I was eleven when I startedselling and delivering rolls and milk for the Co-op,
during the blackout. I earned five
shillings a week for six days' work.

I was scared - and I
was scared to admit that I was scared! I used to walk up the middle
of the street, pushing my barrow and whistling loudly. I had always
been scared of the dark.

Next, I got a paper round.
It was much harder work. I made two deliveries a night for six shillings a week
- big money! I gave my mother five shillings and the rest was
for me.

I left this job to be a
message boy when I was thirteen. This brought in 13/6d a week for
working five days a week after school and all day Saturday -
11/- a week from this went to my mother.

Rent Night

"Friday night was rent night
for the whole stair. It was 30/- for four families, 7/6d per
household. Things have changed a bit since then, but with all these
little jobs, I was never idle."

Tattie Howkin'

"Later, I remember going to
Cockburnspath, Chapel Hill, Berwickshire, to do 3 weeks tattie howkin'.
From hard work came great fun.

We stayed in the local
school which was closed for the holidays. I can still remember the
farmer's wife bringing steaming tea and hot, freshly-baked bread out to us
in the field for our break.

I took home 7/6d in all; it all
went into the household. I left school the same year.

"Jackie Doig and I
were great friends and went everywhere together. We were together
for about ten years until we got married when we were aged about twenty.
We used to have some laughs, especially in the blackout.

We delivered milk together,
and were the biggest cowards ever. We would bolster each other's
courage, saying the two of us could handle anything. But at the
first sign of trouble, we both ran in opposite directions from each other.
So much for the brave talk!

Jackie was much bigger than
me and six months older. If one of us was off school, the teacher
would look in the other's class. If we were both off, then they knew
we were skipping school. They only ever caught us once, and we got
belted for it.

Jackie and I started dance
classes together at Dickson's Academy - quick, quick, slow. We were
rubbish. According to the girls, we were the best looking boys, so
the failure to dance was a great disappointment to them."

Guiders

"I had my own guider.
It was made out of an old fish box and stank of fish. So did I, and
anyone else that was daft enough to ride in it. I never could
understand why the odour did not fade with time.

It was the best guider in
the street, built for two - Jackie and myself. We
sustained a lot of cut elbows and knees, which was tragic as they nearly
always festered."

Remedies

"The only cure for the
guider injuries was the old wives' cure, bread and butter poultices -
a barbaric remedy. The poultice would draw out the puss, but it
stuck like superglue and was excruciating to get off. Mother would
often put diluted bleach on the sores. Can you imagine the agony of
that?

I once had Lystol put on
boils on my neck. My skin was bright red for a month. She had
not diluted it enough. But it has to be said that it cured the
boils!

I also had raw mustard put
on a sore back. It cured the pain, but I had a mark on my back
for years after, so strong was the mustard.

It took me a long time to
get over my conviction that no matter what the illness, the cure just
could not be worth it."

Wireless

"I can remember our first
wireless set. It needed two wet cell batteries. When they ran
out, they had to be taken to the shop about a mile away to be recharged.

This was a hazardous job as
the battery was full of acid water which, if spilt, would burn you badly
and, what was worse, would burn holes in your clothes.

As soon as the wireless
needed to be recharged, my brothers and I would do a disappearing act.
Still, it was good to listen to. I remember the first fight between
Joe Louis and Tony Farr."

Gramophone

"I also remember our first
gramophone. It was in a cabinet. Records then cost 3/6d each
in the 'old money'. My father was in sole charge of the gramophone.
He had a lot of Gracie Fields and Harry Lauder records.

The worst of it was that
you had to wind it up and it always seemed to wind down in the middle of a
record. In those pre-stylus days, the gramophone came with a box of
100 needles."

Church

"I started to go to church
because I wanted to get into the choir. I had been daft on singing
from an early age. After about a dozen visits, I got into the choir.
I was in my element and did not miss a practice for three years.

This was at St David's
Church, Boswall Parkway. The Minister was Dick Calvert. I was
baptised and confirmed there on my fifteenth birthday by the Archbishop of
Edinburgh.

When my voice broke, I
became a member of the Scottish Guild of Servers until about age 18.
The church certainly did me no harm. The people were interesting and
different from what I had been used to."

Scouts

"I joined in all the
activities, including the scouts. I was the first Patrol Leader of
the 149 Inverleith Pack, so at least at this time in my life, I was trying
to be a good citizen.

149 Inverleith Scouts -
Question

Bill Dutton's daughter, Lorraine, posted a message
in the EdinPhoto guest book today, saying that Bill would love to hear
from anyone who remembers the 149 Inverleith Scouts or knows of any photos
taken of the group's Leader, Mr Sefton, or Rev Clark of St David's Church,
Granton, in the 1940s.

Reply to Lorraine?

If you'd like to send a
reply to Lorraine please email me, then I'll pass on your message to
her. Thank you.

Peter Stubbs, Edinburgh: September 23, 2020

Dance

"The first dance I ever
went to was the School Leaving Dance. I got my first suit of
'longs'. My mother had to cash a Providence Cheque to pay for it.
In those days, only a few shops accepted Providence Cheques and the stuff they sold was
rubbish.

I looked smart for about an
hour, but when I got up for the second dance, disaster struck! In
the middle of the Highland Scottiche, my trousers split from back to
front, from fly to rear.

Talk about embarrassment.
My friends had a field day, taking great delight and telling all the
girls. And it was a very cold night, going home. Was I glad to
get to the end of school!"

Work

"One week after
leaving school, I started to work in Cummings' box making factory.
It's the worst job I ever had. How men worked there their whole
lives in such humdrum surroundings, I will never know.

Later, by the age of 27, I
had turned to selling cooked chickens. I also helped to design the
internal layout of the shops. All the surfaces were finished in
Formica. I was working at the first 'all fridge' shop in Edinburgh.

I was determined to make a
success of the job and introduced a recipe system into the shops, '47 Ways
to Cook and Prepare Chicken'.

Life was good then - a
wife, a child and a well-paid job. I got myself a pre-war
motorcycle. You could hear it a mile away, like a regiment of tanks.
Then, after two years, it just fell apart."

Flute Band

"At about the age of 28, I
started to play in Broxburn Flute Band. To play the flute, I had to
cycle to Broxburn from Royston Mains, every Friday. That's 24 miles,
there and back. I was in the band for seven years. It was a
good time."

"Reading all the recollection of Royston
certainly gets you remembering.I remember
a William Sinclair who was in my class at
Royston school. I wonder if he was any
relation to Arthur Sinclair who wrote
Recollections 13 above.

- Billy Sinclair, as
we called him, lived in
Royston Mains Road.

- The
Armstrongs that Arthur
mentioned are relatives of mine."

Jessy Dudgeon

"I also knew Jessie
Dudgeon who someone else in recollections mentioned.
It is certainly a small world."

Peter Gallagher

"I'm sure that Peter
Gallagher, who mentioned the Curries above,
wouldhave known
my husband, Norman Mills,
who lived at 221 West Granton
Road, close to the Curries."

Remember Me?

"I'd
love to hear from anyone who remembers me and my
husband.It would be great to be able to
recollect with whoever."

Paper Rounds

"I remember the corner newsagent at Boswall
Parkway.

- I did paper rounds there,
1
round in the morning and 2rounds at night, six days
a week - for 7s6d a week.

- Then,I moved to a paper shop next to the Embassy
Picture House for more money -
8 shillings a week

- I,
moved again to Inverleith Road for 12s6d a week.You got better tips there too, at
Christmas time.